The irony in manufacturing ethanol is that currently, fossil fuel is still used to grow and harvest the corn needed for feedstock as well as to power the plants needed for the manufacturing process. The researchers of Washington University believe they've found something that could make the process of manufacturing ethanol more energy efficient. To limit the use of fossil fuels when manufacturing ethanol, the researchers turn to oxygen-less methane-producing bacteria.

When ethanol from corn is manufactured, there are waste materials produced that couldn't be processed into fuel. Of course, with cellulosic ethanol production, even what's currently called as waste materials could be turned into fuel. However, until cellulosic ethanol production becomes widespread, manufacturers need to find something to do with the waste and lower their fossil fuel consumption as well. The scientists involved tested the bacteria by feeding them waste samples which are processed in anaerobic (without air/oxygen) digestion. And, since the bacteria used are thermophilic (meaning they thrive in high temperatures), the process was kept at 55 degrees Celsius.

Unfortunately, the bacteria didn't produce as much methanol as they'd like. Upon further study, the researchers found out that the bacteria needed a catalyst, trace elements which could jump-start the digestion of the waste products, particularly cobalt. Adding the catalyst in, they were able to produce ¼ liter of methane per gram of waste. Just how much of an improvement will the process contribute? According to source, ethanol plants only produce an average of 26 percent more energy than they use to produce the fuel. The methane released by the bacteria could handle 50 percent of the plants' energy requirements, upping energy produced to 70 percent.